The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

BY GERY WOELFEL

The pursuit of Ramon Sessions is heating up.

Sessions, the Milwaukee Bucks talented young point guard who is a restricted free agent, is drawing intense interest from the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers.

What’s more, it isn’t out of the realm of possibilities a third team — NBA officials at the recent NBA Summer League in Las Vegas speculated Oklahoma City — may make a last-minute attempt to land Sessions as well.

Officials from the Knicks and Clippers contacted Bucks general manager John Hammond Monday and they discussed Sessions’ situation.

Both teams are considering offering Sessions their mid-level exception, which starts at $5.854 million in the first season. The annual salary then can increase each year thereafter by a maximum of eight percent — or $468,000.

It is believed James “Chubby’’ Wells, Sessions’ agent, is looking for a five-year deal that would be worth approximately $34.5 million.
Both the Knicks and Clippers apparently are amenable to that request.

The Clippers have also tossed out the idea of doing a sign and trade with Milwaukee, dangling their trade exception as part of the deal.
The Clippers, Knicks and Bucks are expected to resume talks Tuesday and there are indications a resolution could occur at that time.

Sessions, 23, is regarded as one of the premier young point guards in the NBA. He has already compiled some impressive numbers. To wit:

As a rookie two seasons ago, Sessions set a Bucks’ record by recording 24 assists in a game against the Chicago Bulls.
Last season, in a game against Detroit, Sessions scored 44 points while also registering 12 assists.

Sessions, who was the 56th overall selection in the 2007 NBA draft, averaged 12.4 points, a team-high 5.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds last season.

He compiled those numbers despite averaging only 27.5 minutes a game.

It’s no secret the Knicks brass has a high regard for Sessions. The Knicks attempted to trade for Sessions last summer, and Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni has told confidants how much he admires Sessions’ game.

Likewise, Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy is a big Sessions fan. Dunleavy has been especially impressed with Sessions’ assist-to-turnover ratio.

Sessions was especially impressive in that aspect of the game down the stretch last season. In the Bucks’ final regular-season game, Sessions totaled 12 assists and had just one turnover. In the last 11 games, he totaled 100 assists and had 26 turnovers.

While the Knicks and Clippers have also bandied about possible sign-and-trade scenarios with the Bucks for Sessions, there is strong sentiment among league officials that the Bucks will be extremely reluctant to match a five-year mid-level exception deal.

These same officials claim the Bucks are in a cost-cutting mode and cite two recent Bucks moves: 1) trading small forward Richard Jefferson and his hefty $29 million contract to San Antonio in a three-team transaction and receiving little in return (power forward Amir Johnson from Detroit), and 2) refusing to extend a qualifying offer to restricted free-agent forward Charlie Villanueva, who then signed a five-year, $35 million deal with Detroit.

The Bucks also have two other point guards on their roster: veteran Luke Ridnour, a part-time starter last season, and Brandon Jennings, their top draft pick who played well in the Las Vegas Summer League.